Knicks hold off Spurs 105-104 for 2-0 NBA Finals lead

The New York Knicks edged out the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 in a thrilling Game 2, extending their NBA Finals lead to a commanding 2-0. The victory marked the Knicks' 13th consecutive playoff win, a streak second only to the longest in postseason history. They now head to New York with a chance to clinch their first title since 1973 at Madison Square Garden.

San Antonio mounted a furious comeback, erasing a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and even taking a brief lead late in the game. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, despite a slow start, poured in 22 of his 29 points in the second half. His three-point play with just over 57 seconds remaining put the Spurs ahead 104-102.

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I threw that one away. I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game.

However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the final seconds. After a missed free throw by Jalen Brunson tied the game at 104, Wembanyama turned the ball over with a bad pass to a teammate. Brunson recovered the ball, was fouled, and made one of two free throws to give the Knicks a 105-104 lead with 9.5 seconds left. The Spurs had one last chance, but Wembanyama's potential game-winning jumper rimmed out as time expired.

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A great player got a great shot, and it just didn’t go in.

"I threw that one away," a dejected Wembanyama, 22, admitted after the game. "I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game." Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns, who contributed 21 points and 13 rebounds, acknowledged the pressure of the final play. "A great player got a great shot, and it just didn’t go in," Towns said, while also praising Wembanyama as a "once in a generation player" he worked to make difficult.

No team has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in the NBA Finals when losing the first two games at home. The Knicks, who also saw strong performances from Brunson and Mikal Bridges with 20 points each, are now two wins away from championship glory.

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He’s a once in a generation player. You got to make it difficult on him. So, just utilising my experience, utilising my size, my skill, and just trying to make it difficult for him.